Starbucks turns to Google for free WiFi in US cafes

Google on Wednesday said it has been signed on to provide free high-speed wireless Internet service at all Starbucks cafes in the United States. Google will roll out WiFi service to the coffee giant's 7,000 US cafes during the coming 18 months, replacing telecom titan AT&T as Internet provider. "When your local Starbucks WiFi network goes Google, you'll be able to surf the web at speeds up to 10x faster than before," Google Access general manager Kevin Lo said in a blog post. "If you're in a Google Fiber city, we're hoping to get you a connection that's up to 100x faster." Google in April announced that the Utah city of Provo will be the third US city to get its experimental high-speed Fiber Internet service that promises to move data at a gigabyte-per-second. The Google Internet service is spreading to Austin, the Texas home of a South By Southwest festival beloved by technology trendsetters, after a successful pilot program in Kansas City. Google has established a pattern of providing a low-speed version of Google Fiber free to residents, who pay one-time installation fees, and then offering options such as high-speed Internet and online television for monthly subscription rates.